Soft Hindutva plank continues, Rahul to visit Pitambara temple on October 15 in Datia

New Delhi, Oct 10: With Assembly elections announced in five states, the Congress is going to continue with its soft Hindutva plank to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In one such move, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Goddess Pitambara temple at Datia district in Madhya Pradesh during Navratra celebrations. Rahul will visit the temple on October 15. The temple belongs to Goddess Bagalamukhi which is also known as Pitambara Peeth.

This temple is one of the most auspicious temples of the country and is known for tantric practices. Rites and rituals conducted here are for the success and achievement of people. Rahul Gandhi will offers not only prayers in the temple but also participate in an Yajna however the party sources refused to divulge any detail if any special ritual is planned for the Congress president.

Just to offer his prayers in this temple, this will be the second visit of Rahul Gandhi in the Gwalior region in past eight day's time. Gandhi was in Gwalior that is close Datia on last Saturday. Now he is going there for two days as after performing puja at the Dalia temple, he will join road shows organised in Gwalior and Chambal regions of Madhya Pradesh.

Sources said that there are certain set rules and traditions that everyone is suppose to follow at Datia temple while entering at specific places of the temple so that has been very specifically and emphatically told to people looking after the programme of Rahul Gandhi. This included visiting the area where people meditate. This is the place where devotees sit to meditate (sadhana) if Rahul has to go there he will have to wear dhoti instead of kurta and payjama or his signature style jeans with kurta.

This has been reminded to the Congress people because it was brought to the notice by some of the devotees and practitioners of meditation at this tantric temple that Rahul Gandhi did not follow the set tradition while visiting many other temples. Questions were raised on the timing of the Narmada Arti performed by Rahul Gandhi on October 6 in Madhya Pradesh because it was performed before the evening.

Pitambara Temple in which Rahul Gandhi is going to perform puja has the long association of the Scindia family. Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje is still chief of the temple trust. Interestingly wherever Rahul Gandhi is going there is a plan to visit at least one religious place. State unit of the Congress has been asked that they must provide detailed information about Rahul Gandhi's visit to famous religious places.